Tradition watches

Tradition is a name three brands use for unrelated watches: Breguet, Tissot and Montblanc. They share nothing beyond it.

The Breguet Tradition reinterprets the subscription and tact watches of Abraham-Louis Breguet, who founded the firm in Paris in 1775. Breguet says the subscription watch sold nearly 700 examples, most between 1798 and 1805. The Tradition's idea is exposed mechanics: the movement and the time display share the dial side, with a small dial for the time. The models run from 37 to 44 mm in gold or platinum and include the 7057, the 7047 Fusée Tourbillon, the 7067 GMT, the 7077 Chronographe Indépendant, the 7097 Automatique Seconde Rétrograde and the Dame 7038, with a diamond-set bezel and mother-of-pearl.

Tissot's Tradition, all T063 references, is a steel line from 25 to 42 mm. The Tradition 5.5 is the slim one, about 5.2 mm thick at 25, 31 and 39 mm. The Tradition Lady is 33 mm; the Automatic Small Second and the Powermatic 80 Open Heart are 40 mm; the 42 mm models include a quartz three-hand, a chronograph and a Quartz Retrograde Perpetual Calendar. Many come in yellow or rose gold PVD as well as plain or two-tone steel.

Montblanc's Tradition is a steel date watch. The Date Automatic comes at 32, 36 and 40 mm and is 8.5 mm thick; the Date Quartz, at 36 and 40 mm, is slimmer at 6.6 mm.